Living History: The Somme Battlefields
World War One
•
24m
The Battle of the Somme, which began on 1 July 1916, is remembered as one of the bloodiest events of the First World War. On the first day of the offensive, one man was killed every 4.4 seconds, making it the bloodiest single day in the history of the British Army. There were over a million casualties sustained by both Allied and German forces by the time the battle had concluded.
Historian Mat McLachlan travels along the Circuit of Remembrance with tour guide John Anderson, visiting the commune of Beaumont-Hamel, the Newfoundland Memorial and the extraordinary World War One collection at Le Tommy Café in Pozières to learn more about the battle and all those who fought in it.
Up Next in World War One
-
The Aftermath of World War One
Today Dan is joined by Margaret MacMillan, professor at St. Antony's College at Oxford University and author of Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War. Together they discuss the effects WWI had on the world, and how Europe began to rebuild in the years that fol...
-
Africa and War
The first shot fired by British forces in the First World War was fired by an African soldier in Africa. Historian David Olusoga presents three 1418 Now art commissions that will highlight the often overlooked role played by African soldiers.
-
The Untold Story of the Unknown Warrior
The First World War was a conflict like nothing the World had ever known. More than 700,000 men mobilised in the UK would die during the conflict. Roughly 250,000 of those would have no known grave. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior became a place where all those people who were denied a grave to v...
